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JOHN A. HEYL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Leem Parmi N0. 63,794, ma Api-iz 1e, 18er.

IMPRO'VED RAILWAY SWITOH.

TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME Be it known that I, JOHN A. I-IEYL, of Boston in the county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an improved Railway Switch operative mechanism; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following speci'cation and represented in the accompanyingl drawings, of whioh-- Figure 1 is a top view; and

Figure 2 a longitudinal section of the main and turn-out rails and switch of a railway as provided with my invention for operating the switch by meansofia carriage while running from the main toward the turn-out rails, or from the latter toward the former. v

In the drawings, A A are the two rails composing the switch, they, at or near one end of each, being hinged or jointed to the two main-track rails B El, so as to be capable of being,` moved horizontally on centres a a, from the. continuation main-track rails B2 B3 to the sideling or turn-out .rails C C, or from the latter to the former, as circumstances may require. The two switch-rails A A are connected by a bar, D, jointed to both of them near their free extremities,`the same being for preserving their'parailelism as well as for another purpose. Between the switch-rails is a bent lever, E, whose fulerutn, Z1, is at the middle of the lever, and extends' upward `from the road bed, or some suitable part of the superstructure of the track. This lever is connected to each of the switch-rails by one of two toggles, F F, each'of which is jointed or hinged both to the switch-rail and the lever, the whole being so that by a movement of the lever in one direction on its fulcrum the switch-rails may be moved into line with the main-track rails; also so that by a movementof the lever in an opposite direction on such fulcrum the switch-rails may be moved into line with the rails of the sideling or turnout. i y

For electing such movements of'the lever I employ mechanism which maybe thus described: In the drawings, G- is a horizontal shaft, provided with two cranks, c c', at its ends, and two bell-cranks, d d', arranged between the terminal cranks. This shaft is supported in bearings, e e e, arranged between the main-track rails B Bl, in manner as represented in the drawings. When one of the bell-cranks is horizontal the other is inclined to the horizon, that is to say, the plane of the two hell-cranks is at an acute angle with each other, the vertex of which is at the axis of the shaft G, each of the terminal cranks being extended downward fr om the shaft, and disposed at or about at a right angle with the next adjacent bell-crank.. Two connecting-rods,

-. H II', lead from the wrists di' the terminal cranks to the lever E, to which they are jointed on. opposite sides of its fulcrum, as shown in iig. Furthermore, two inclined bars or planes, II', arranged so as to turn on a horizontal rod, c', are applied to the wrists of the two bell-cranks, each of such wrists being extended ythrough slot,f, made in the bar. There is to be on the axle of the locomotive or railway carriage, or on some other proper part thereof, a wheel, provided with a means'of sliding it laterally, so that when the locomotive or carriage is on the track-rails B Bl the wheel may` be moved into a position to roll on either ofthe inclined bars or planes l I while the carriage is in the act ot passing over them the object 'ef-such wheels being to depress the inclined planc'so as to canse the switch to be moved from alignment with those of the sideling,` or turn-out, or the reverse, according te the inclined plane run over and depressed by such' wheel. The drawings exhibit fthe inclined planes and their cranked` shaft as arranged so as to actuate the switch while the locomotive or railway carriage may be running on t-l1e tracl 1'ails B'B; but a set of the inclined planes, cranked shaft, and connecting-rods, as describethrmay be disposed between the rails BZ and C', therconnecting-rods being `jointed to the lever E. In this case the switch may be operated when the carriage may be on either the tracks B2, B5', or'- C C', and running toward the switch, such operation of the switch being to bringitinto alignment with. the track o'n which the carriage may be running.

AFrom the above it will -be seen that the movement of the switch may be effected by the engine beforey it may reach it, and thus the usual expense of the employment` of a switch-tender may be avoided. Each arm o? the lever E, with its toggle, answers as a pairizof toggles to operate with the connection-bar D in moving the switch-rails, and holdingthem in position when in alignment with either the main or sideling tracks.

Having thus described my invention, I wish .it to be understood that I am aware that the relative position of a switch-with a main track or turn-out, or sideling track, has been changed bythe action oi' mechanism attached to a carriage as well as by devices applied to the track, such being as exhibited in the United States Patent No. 8,531, dated November 18, 1851. I am also aware of the devices for such purposes as shown in the rejected applications of Morton, Buck and Andrews, tiled in the United States Patent Olice August 17, 1850; and John C. Smith, filed in the United States Patent Oiiee June 13,1857; all of which differ materially from my invention, for in neither of them do 'We find the switclr-rails connected with a horizontal lever by toggles, such as shown at F F in iig. 1 of the above-mentioned drawings, cach of such togglcs not only serving to aid in the movement ofthe switch, but, with the curved lever E', to operate to lock the switch in position. Furthermore, my arrangement and application of theV cranked shaft Gr with the levers I I is different from anything exhibited in the said patent. or rejected applications, for in my invention the bell and terminal cranks are all on one shaft, to which the two levers I I and the connecting-rods H H are applied. -'.lhe movement of one lever causes a countermovement of the other through the agency of the .shaft and bell-cranks. My invention is simple and more eflicient than others, as heretofore mentioned. I

I claim the arrangement of the bars I I', the cranked shaft Gr, the connecting-rods I-I H', the lever E, the toggles F F', and the connecting-baul?, the whole being applied to the switch, and so as to aid in operating it, in manner and under circumstances substantially as hereinbeore explained.

i JOHN A. IIEYL.

"Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr. 

